Bumgarner wins his first Burke County Open title

Noah Bumgarner saved his best — and the best in the entire field for the entire week — for last on Sunday in the final round of the annual Burke County Open golf tournament at Silver Creek Golf Club.

Bumgarner fired a 3-under par closing round of 69 to move up from third place in the championship division following 36 holes and gain a three-stroke win over Dylan Lancaster of Spindale, who has now finished runner-up in the event for each of the last three years.

Bumgarner’s sensational last round, the only sub-70 round over three days in the 35-player field, came after he opened with scores of 74 and 75 on July 24 and 25, respectively, at Silver Creek, which hosted the event in 54-hole fashion exclusively for the first time ever.

Bumgarner, 23, is a recent graduate of Southeastern Louisiana University, where he played golf for three years. Prior to that, Bumgarner shined at West Caldwell High, where he was a conference golfer of the year.

The win continued a hot stretch of play for Bumgarner, who the weekend before had claimed the Caldwell County Amateur Championship.

His victory also continued a trend of sorts as Bumgarner made it five consecutive first-time winners of the Burke County Open this decade, though he’s the first one of those not from Burke County.

Instead, Bumgarner becomes only the second winner of the event to hail from Caldwell County in the last 20 years, joining back-to-back champion Brian Curry (2018, 2019).

Lancaster had opened with scores of 75 and 73 and began the final round in second place, two shots behind Silver Creek member Daniel Honeycutt of Weaverville, who had posted totals of 72 and 74.

But Honeycutt struggled to a final-round 79 to place third at 9-over par, and Lancaster’s second straight 73 wasn’t enough to maintain the pace set by Bumgarner.

Kyle Scruggs of Gaffney, S.C., (14-over) finished fourth after having placed third at the event two years ago, and 2024 champion Steve Jetter of Morganton (15-over) was fifth outright for his third straight top-five showing.

Another Caldwell County golfer won in exhilarating fashion on Sunday as Gamewell’s Danny Boughman defeated reigning super senior division champion David Simpson of Morganton on the second hole of a sudden-death playoff in the senior division after both finished at 15-over 231 through three rounds.

Simpson, who was eligible for the super senior division again at age 71 but instead decided to play against the “young guns,” trailed Boughman by one stroke entering the final round and shot 75 to force the playoff.

The win ended Keith McGillvary’s two-year reign atop the senior division. (Both McGillvary and overall defending champion Alex Bock did not play the event this year.)

Marion’s Brandon Godfrey rallied to claim his first super senior title at the event after a sizzling final-round 71 that left him at 6-over, one stroke better than Richard Clark, who closed with a 75.

Godfrey adds to his trophy case after having claimed the senior division crown each year from 2013-15.

Former senior and super senior champion Terry Rogers shot three rounds in the 70s and finished in third, nine more strokes back at 16-over.

And Valdese native Jeremy Yancey (22-over) claimed the title in the open division, thanks in large part to a second-round 74. Morganton native Keith Avery (29-over) closed with a 78 to finish second.